Biniam Girmay has pulled out of the Glasgow World Championships after crashing hard at the Clásica San Sebastián on Saturday.
The 23-year-old Eritrean rider was a potential medal contender after his success in the spring Classics and sprints, and his second place in the Under 23 World Championships in Belgium in 2021. Hospital check-ups in Spain confirmed that Girmay did not suffer any fractures but Intermarché-Circus-Wanty said he crashed at 60kph and suffered contusions and pain in the hip.
Cyclingnews understands a number of Eritrean riders have been struggling to secure visas to enter Britain for the World Championships, with Girmay apparently spending two days in Paris after the Tour de France to apply for his visa.
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Natnael Berhane, Henok Mulubrahn, and Dawit Yemane apparently secured visas in Istanbul. Berhane races for the Turkish-registered Beykoz Belediyesi Spor Kulübü Continental team. Mulubrahn rides for Green Project-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè in Italy and Yemane rides for the Bike Aid team.
However Natnael Tesfatsion, Merhawi Kudus, and Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier have so far not secured visas to enter the United Kingdom in order to take part in Sunday's elite men's road race.
Girmay carefully plans his racing season so he can spend time in Europe racing and time at home in Eritrea. However, he now faces no visa problems and will rest up and recover for the end of season races.
“I’m of course very disappointed to withdraw from the selection for the World Championships, which were a main goal for this season since last winter,” Girmay said in an announcement from Intermarché-Circus-Wanty.
“I had a good feeling after the Tour de France but my crash in the Clasica San Sebastián caused too severe pain to be able to defend my chances in the worlds.
“My priority now is to recover from this crash and then the preparation for the last part of the season, with nice goals in one-day races such as the Grand Prix de Plouay and Canadian classics.”
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